Woman Accused of Prostituting 13-Year-Old For Food Appears In Court

HARTFORD — A woman accused of prostituting a 13-year-old to a Hartford bodega owner for cash and free groceries was arraigned in Superior Court on Friday.

Judge Joan Alexander increased the bail of Wilnelia David, 29, of Hartford, to $350,000. David, who also is listed as living in East Hartford, is scheduled to return to court on May 23.

David, who police said was a friend of the 13-year-old girl's family, said nothing during her brief appearance. Sonia Jones was appointed her public defender; Jones asked for a mental health check for her client.

David has no criminal record, according to Bail Commissioner Melissa Tardiff. She has lived in the state 11 years, she said.

Police arrested David on Thursday afternoon, charging her with leaving a child unsupervised, risk of injury to a minor, prostitution, fourth-degree sexual assault, first-degree sexual assault and sexual assault of a victim under 13.

An arrest warrant for David said she frequented the Keithbel Market, at 556 Zion St., which is owned by Fernandez and his ex-wife. David knew the victim's family, and lives in her boyfriend's mother's house, the warrant says.

The victim told police that every time David went to the store, she invited the girl, and that Fernandez gave the woman $50 after each sexual assault — the first of which happened when she was 12 years old.

The girl said that Fernandez groped and fondled her underneath her clothing, according to police. She appeared shy, and replied to some of the interviewer's questions in writing, rather than saying out loud how Fernandez had assaulted her, police said in the warrant.

The victim said that both Fernandez and David threatened her by saying that if she told anyone about the assaults, they would tell others that she was nasty and a snitch, the warrant says.

The girl's father contacted police on Dec. 31, 2012, after being told by a friend that he had seen a video on David's cellphone of Fernandez touching his daughter inappropriately, police said.

The victim told police that David showed the video to her boyfriend back at her apartment after the incident occurred.

Investigators obtained warrants for Fernandez's residence, which is on the second floor above the bodega, and for David's person to seize her cellphone. Guns and drugs were recovered in Fernandez's home during their investigation, police said. He has drug and gun charges pending in addition to the sexual assault case.

In an interview with police after the search, Fernandez said that he had sex with David and other women in the basement of the store. He told police that he gave David $50 afterward.

David gave a written statement to police in February in which she said that the victim was often with her and that she would sometimes go to Fernandez's store with the girl. But she said she usually went to the store alone to have sex with Fernandez — who would give her free things for her baby, as well as drinks, cigarettes or money, the warrant says.

David showed officers the video on her cellphone, which she said was of an incident in early December 2012, and was the only time she witnessed any kind of assault on the teen, police said.